Teams & Riders Tadej Pogačar discussion thread

[hayneplane]

I recommend you to watch Isaac Del Toro, the best GC rider in the pipeline. 2nd in Giro this season and he will begin to tear it up big time starting 2026.

Del Toro is fantastic and I am a big fan but I haven’t seen any suggestions that he might have any interest in the cobbled classics.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Yes, some old *** who raced in the 70s and who just happens to be the national religion of Belgium.

Like, if Merckx is the only thing interesting to talk about then we're really running out of interesting things to talk about.

Talk about Hinault then, he’s got a better palmares than Pogacar as well.
I already said I like Pogacar, but goat is a big claim, and cycling has a lot of nice history.

 

[Rule #9 apostle]

The pressure will never be off. Once he has 5, people will say he needs 6 to break the record. Once he has 6 people will say the real record is 7. Once he has 7 he'll need 8 to be the greatest beyond any doubt.

The pressure comes from winning what is in front of him, and beating those he is actually competing with. When you are expected to win something, the external and internal pressure builds. I don't think athletes in the middle of their career have any time or find any value in counting and comparing achievements against racers from 50 years prior, or find motivation from 'beating' someone who they are not actually competing with.

I think what keeps him (and anyone else) going is the desire to race and compete in his next race and the fear that vingegaard, mvdp or anyone else trains better and beat him.

If that drive disappears, the desire to rack up more impressive numbers than what an old belgian did 50 years ago to get an upper hand in an arbitrary meta-competition across eras is probably a really weak and ineffective substitute.

This is also why is think decisions on his schedule and goals have very little to do with him building a case to be the goat (ie. He 'needs' so many of this or that to beat merckx).

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I think this guy hit the nail on the head here:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1949514027803021814

View: https://x.com/gckussfan/status/1949514027803021814?s=46&t=v78FW2xUlI-JJSgA79OVfw


It is good both for the sport, the fans and the rider himself that even the best guy in the world gets beaten, but it’s always great to see the best trying to win races that doesn’t suit them perfectly.

 

[Cycling111]

Del Toro is fantastic and I am a big fan but I haven’t seen any suggestions that he might have any interest in the cobbled classics.

In fact, Del Toro seems average to me on the flat sections.

As for the GT, we'll wait and see. In the two high-mountain stages of the Giro, he struggled quite a bit. Simon didn't just beat him in Finestre; remember, he also beat him in another stage. And Simon is a long way behind his leader, Vingegaard.
Carapaz didn't even make the Vuelta podium last year, against O'Connor and Mas.

Del Toro has a great future, but I've seen comments on X that see him as a Tour de France podium finisher next year, so be calm. I'm not sure he's a better climber than Lipowitz in the mountains.

The current Carapaz couldn't get on the podium with Mas and O'Connor. I don't think he's superior to the Lipowitz of the Tour, and Del Toro was at Carapaz's level at the Giro, and clearly inferior one day.

The races he's done since the Giro have been very poor. Although I think he's better in those types of races. I have more doubts about the GT mountain stages.

I don't see him overtaking Vingegard next year as some suggest. It's still early.

 

[Cycling111]

I think this guy hit the nail on the head here:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1949514027803021814

View: https://x.com/gckussfan/status/1949514027803021814?s=46&t=v78FW2xUlI-JJSgA79OVfw


It is good both for the sport, the fans and the rider himself that even the best guy in the world gets beaten, but it’s always great to see the best trying to win races that doesn’t suit them perfectly.

This guy was insulting him with clinical accusations a few days ago .

 

[Peyroteo94]

Talk about Hinault then, he’s got a better palmares than Pogacar as well.
I already said I like Pogacar, but goat is a big claim, and cycling has a lot of nice history.

Pogacar will surpass Hinault sooner than later. Maybe next year to be honest.

 

[Charlyghoul]

Pogacar will surpass Hinault sooner than later. Maybe next year to be honest.

I thought you said he was already the goat, did you just mean on talent ?

 

[Peyroteo94]

I thought you said he was already the goat, did you just mean on talent ?

Yes, I told you that earlier in this thread

 

[Charlyghoul]

Yes, I told you that earlier in this thread

Gino and Tadej and Merckx for me

 

[Peyroteo94]

Gino and Tadej and Merckx for me

How old are you? Unless you are 90 years old, it's hard to know how good was Gino or Eddy

 

[perico]

Don't compare Valverde to Pogacar or any multiple Tour winner.

What burns complete cyclists out physically and mentally are the GTs, and Valverde never felt pressured to win a Tour.

Merckx and Hinault situation wasn't even like Indurain's, who spent several years in the Tour without doing anything. Merckx and Hinault won their debut Tour like Pogacar and always felt the pressure to win, riding it at maximum physical demands.

Valverde hasn't had that physical and mental demand in the Tour. And outside of GTs, he's a cyclist who hasn't competed in Milano San Remo, and all the major races every year. He paced his seasons in smaller races in Spain, not competing in all the important classics every year, and in GTs, he didn't have the pressure of winning the Tour.

Mercx or Hinault burned twice as much in 8 years as Valverde in 20.

The comparison couldn't be more unfair.

Hinault never physically burned out. He wasn’t the same rider after his knee injury but he was still the 2nd strongest rider in the world when he hung up his bike, and probably would’ve still been the strongest had he continued in 1987 after LeMond was shot.

 

[Cookster15]

after LeMond was shot.

If Lemond wasn't shot Hinault had his work cut out - at least in grand tour racing. Lemond's hunting accident was in April 1987. He went on to win two more Tours full of lead when he admitted he wasn't a strong as in 1986 when he beat Hinault head to head.

I can't see Pogacar not having a better palmarès than Hinault by the time he finishes his career.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

"Maybe I will be back"
"I will consider retirememt after Olympics 2028"

Those are not words of a guy who wants to race much longer. He may indeed retire early. Then again, he's been on the top from the age of 22 so staying there till 30 yo is long. Its intense to attempt and win all those races, he will opt for rest and normal life instead of post prime gradual decline.

 

[Rackham]

"Maybe I will be back"
"I will consider retirememt after Olympics 2028"

Those are not words of a guy who wants to race much longer. He may indeed retire early. Then again, he's been on the top from the age of 22 so staying there till 30 yo is long. Its intense to attempt and win all those races, he will opt for rest and normal life instead of post prime gradual decline.

If Pog dares retire as soon as Rog is done (or thereabouts), I'll consider him nothing more than Rogla's personal Baba Yaga spawned in the Vuelta 2019 who took great malevolent pleasure in winning everything during Rog's prime years.

He's ten years younger. Seriously. L.A. 'won' his first TdF when he was 27!

 

[Bolder]

"Maybe I will be back"
"I will consider retirememt after Olympics 2028"

Those are not words of a guy who wants to race much longer. He may indeed retire early. Then again, he's been on the top from the age of 22 so staying there till 30 yo is long. Its intense to attempt and win all those races, he will opt for rest and normal life instead of post prime gradual decline.

Sagan is a good example of a rider who was really successful from an early age who couldn't sustain it after 30.

 

[YavorD]

"Maybe I will be back"
"I will consider retirememt after Olympics 2028"

Those are not words of a guy who wants to race much longer. He may indeed retire early. Then again, he's been on the top from the age of 22 so staying there till 30 yo is long. Its intense to attempt and win all those races, he will opt for rest and normal life instead of post prime gradual decline.

Yes, some time ago I said that I see him retire around 2029 or something.
He really doesn't strikes me as a guy who would want to be around for long after he stopps winning (that much).


Providing he doesn't like the Tour, maybe if they let him do his own schedule (possibly without the Tour) could refresh him a bit.

 

[Krzysztof_O]

Sagan is a good example of a rider who was really successful from an early age who couldn't sustain it after 30.

I think its likely Pog won't even try to sustain. He will leave as the best rider in the world. He has a contract until 2030 so they will have to solve this.

 

[Mina.S]

Urska said in an interview earlier in the year she is going to do one more Olympic cycling and then retire to have kids so it checks out.

<p>The love, grief and ambition in the life of Urska Zigart</p>

When her fiancé Tadej Pogacar (26) suddenly became more successful, people warned her: Pay attention. «But Tadej is still just Tadej», says Urska Zigart (28) — who has been working for AG Insurance-Soudal, the female division of ‘The Wolfpack’, since this year. She will soon be riding the Strade...

www.aginsurance-soudal.com

 

[Salvarani]

Sagan is a good example of a rider who was really successful from an early age who couldn't sustain it after 30.

He also crashed heavily on a descent in the Tour on a mountain stage, he never was the same rider after that, and his divorce wasnt good for him personally either. Both things happening close together was detrimental, plus the arrival of Van Aert and MVDP sporting-wise.

 

[Peyroteo94]

Urska said in an interview earlier in the year she is going to do one more Olympic cycling and then retire to have kids so it checks out.

<p>The love, grief and ambition in the life of Urska Zigart</p>

When her fiancé Tadej Pogacar (26) suddenly became more successful, people warned her: Pay attention. «But Tadej is still just Tadej», says Urska Zigart (28) — who has been working for AG Insurance-Soudal, the female division of ‘The Wolfpack’, since this year. She will soon be riding the Strade...

www.aginsurance-soudal.com

Pogacar can have kids during his cycling career. He doesn't need to retire.

 

[Cookster15]

The world is full of bell curves. We will all need to wait and see when Pogacar declines or decides to retire. Valverde was good from maybe 15 until 42. That is the other extreme of the bell curve. Having children can actually prolong professional careers. It depends on the individual(s) and circumstances.

 

[BubbaChuck]

i cant believe, this is happening.

 

[Peyroteo94]

He will enjoy his summer vacations too much so Vuelta is out of his schedule.

Pogacar to ride the Vuelta? Tour champ wants 'week off' before possible Vingegaard re-match

Tour de France 2025 winner Tadej Pogacar said he will take a week off to relax before deciding whether to ride at the Vuelta a Espana next month.

www.tntsports.co.uk

 

[Krzysztof_O]

In another interview he mentions a possible burnout that could happen to him in the future. This really doesnt sound optimistic. Hope for the peleton that the Godfather/Le Patron/Tyrant will leave early?